Inspiring others through farming and entrepreneurship
Farmer and serial entrepreneur Maria Oliveras Gonzalez is busy. A single mom of four kids, she runs a mixed-vegetable farm, Flor Farm Foodies, in Holyoke on land leased from Nuestras Raices. She also makes and sells hot sauces and jams, is opening a food truck, has a cleaning company, and helps women in crisis by introducing them to agriculture.
During a recent gathering of the PVGrows investors, borrowers, and community members, Maria spoke about the Women’s Agricultural Enrichment Program. She shared that she is a domestic violence survivor. “I wanted to add that to my story because I would not be here if not for that chapter in my life.” The 9-month program helps women by “introducing them to the world of entrepreneurship through agriculture,” according to her website.
When she left Florida with her children and arrived in Massachusetts with nothing, she said, she had to start from scratch to rebuild a life. She was without transportation for a period, and was in danger of losing the land she was farming. She had recently met Myra Marcellin of the Massachusetts Agriculture Innovation Center, who had presented at Nuestras Raices, and had given Maria her card.
“About a month or two later,” Maria told the group, “I reached out to Myra via email and she came out to my home, sat down and listened to my story, and she looked at my little business plan…and said she would help me and I said ok. And I thought ok I’m never going to hear back and if I do she’s just going to tell me I’m sorry we can’t do anything for you. But she did not. She emailed me back and she kept her word. She worked with me on my business plan and my budget list and my proposal.”
Maria received grants and a loan from the Franklin County CDC using funds from Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation and through the PVGrows Investment Fund to purchase farm tools and renovations of the food truck.
Now Maria grows peppers, tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, and mushrooms on her half acre. She makes and sells value-added products, transforming the hot peppers she grows into signature hot sauces in tempting flavors, such as Cayenne Bayou, Gia Green Thai Chili, and Jah’ Makin’ Me Hot Sauce. She also jars unique seasonal preserves—think spicy strawberry and pineapple—along with traditional favorites such as blueberry and raspberry.
On July 20, she’ll debut her new food truck, selling delicacies from Puerto Rico: appetizers like beef empanadas, Alcapurria (green banana and beef fritters), Bacalaitos (cod fritters), and the entrée: yellow rice with pigeon peas and a portion of pork or quarter chicken with green bananas and sweet bread with barbecue sauce. To top it off, she serves flan, frozen fruit limbers, and cheesecake.
In her spare time, Maria runs DumpGirls LLC, a residential cleaning company that she hopes to grow to serve commercial clients.
“Franklin County CDC, thank you for being my yes person and believing in me,” she said.
